Making friends and connecting business within the ASEAN property network…
Kuala Lumpur, August 25 – About 600 delegates from across the world attended the launch of the ARENA Convention and Exhibition (ACE) 2017 today to discuss cross-border practices, skills and knowledge. Aimed at real estate practitioners, they will be given insights and opportunities to expand and have a greater regional reach over three days of the conference. Held for the first time in Malaysia, ACE 2017 was organized by the chair and secretariat of this year’s ASEAN Real Estate Network Alliance (ARENA), the Malaysian Institute of Estate Agents (MIEA). The conference was held at Berjaya Times Square Hotel with Deputy Minister of Finance, YB Dato’ Lee Chee Leong who officiated the event.
Left to right: Mr. Hartono Sarwono (President, Asosiasi Real Estate Broker Indonesia), Dr. Kim Heang (President, Cambodian Valuers & Estate Agents Association – CVEA), Mr. Harry Yeo (President, Institute of Estate Agents Singapore – IEA), Mr. Eric Lim (President, Malaysian Institute of Estate Agents – MIEA), Mr. Soma Sundram (Secretary-General, ASEAN Real Estate Alliance – ARENA), Mr. Khin Maung Than (Chairman, Myanmar Real Estate Services Association – MRESA), Mr. Sopon Pornchokchai (President, Thai Appraisal Foundation), Mr. William Floresta (President, Philippines Association of Real Estate Boards – PAREB), Ms. Rachel Chong (Head of Sales & Marketing, EcoWorld / Development Manager, Bukit Bintang City Centre – BBCC), Ms. Angeline Neoh (Vice-President of Sales & Marketing, Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad – MRCB), and Prof. Eduard Ong (Chairman, Professional Regulation Commission – PRC / Chairman, Professional Regulatory Board of Real Estate Service, Republic of The Philippines)
Organizing Chairman and Secretary General for ACE 2017, Soma Sundram said, “By hosting events such as ACE 2017 annually, we envision that ARENA will become a powerful regional body that will provide its members with a strong networking platform to promote cross-border real estate transactions. ASEAN is growing tremendously and there are huge economic opportunities for ARENA members. Each ASEAN country however has its own individual characteristics and legal framework for property transactions. Via programmes such as ACE 2017 we can share and better understand each market when it comes to best practices.”
With the theme “Making Friends and Connecting Business”, ACE 2017 is also targeted at supporting Malaysian real estate practitioners to look beyond borders and cross-sell properties in other regional markets. This will also help provide access to alternative markets to address the current economic uncertainties in the local market. Some added that participation amongst the ASEAN nations has been extremely positive with some delegates coming all the way from the United States and the United Kingdom. A number of themes will be covered at the event such as how to do cross-border sales using technology as the latest real estate method to market properties, showcasing hotspots in Malaysia to attract foreign investment, the performance of regional real estate markets and how full liberalization will affect the real estate service sector.
Chairman of Council of Presidents for ARENA and President of the Malaysian Institute of Estate Agents (MIEA) Eric Lim said, “ACE 2017 is the single largest congregation of regional real estate practitioners in this region. ARENA, as organizers of ACE 2017, represents some 20,000 association members and more than 100,000 practitioners serving an estimated population of over 600 million. This reinforces our commitment towards supporting cross-border real estate transactions, building effective networks and improving the standards of service amongst property practitioners.”
Notable speakers for ACE 2017 include:-
- Dato’ Sri Matthew Yeoh ,founding member of ASEAN Legal Alliance, “China’s One Road, One Belt and Its Impact on ASEAN”
- Kumar Tharmalingam, Senior Advisor to AREA Management Sdn Bhd, “The Making of An ASEAN Real Estate Community and Moulding the Future.”
- Chris Dietz, Executive Vice-President for Global Operations, Leading R, “Connecting Business Via Cross Referrals – Kick Starting and Developing It.”
- Sopon Pornchokchai, President of Thai Appraisal Foundation, “The ASEAN Regional Markets, Its Performance and Direction.”
- Lewis Ng, Chief Business Officer, PropertyGuru Group, “The Changing Landscape of The Digital Marketing Platform in ASEAN.”
The ASEAN Real Estate Network Alliance (ARENA) is a prestige regional grouping of eight national real estate associations across ASEAN with the aim of fostering greater collaboration and cooperation within the real estate fraternity. Among its esteemed members include real estate practitioners from Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Myanmar. ACE 2017 is also fully supported by its main sponsors Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad (MRCB), Bukit Bintang City Centre (EcoWorld), PropertyGuru Malaysia, Leading RE, and Maybank. For additional information on ARENA, kindly visit: . Alternatively, please contact the following persons:-
Anne Lourdes Imran Clyde
9 0